Hair salon owners urge Gavin Newsom to let them go back to work — outdoors

California Gov. Gavin Newsom may have closed down hair salons and barbershops in most of the state due to rising COVID-19 numbers, but advocates say only a technicality is keeping hair stylists and barbers from still being able to work.

They want to governor to make one change so they can go back to work.

“This is huge for us. We are not able to pay our bills,” said Jessie Santiago, owner of Salon Bender in Long Beach.

Santiago was once of several salon owners to speak out at an online press conference held Thursday. Santiago and the others are asking the governor to waive a rule that prohibits barbers and hair stylists from working outdoors.

Also speaking at the press conference was Fred Jones, of the Professional Beauty Federation of California.

Jones said Newsom’s order re-closing hair salons and barbershops on Monday was “a real shot in the gut for us,” but that the governor left “a glimmer of hope” when he said that businesses such as restaurants that can operate outdoors would be allowed to continue to do so.

Jones said the only thing standing in the way of hair stylists moving their operation outdoors is Section 7317 of the Business and Professions Code, which states that barbering, cosmetology and electrology services must be conducted inside a licensed establishment. Violations of that rule are subject to an administrative fine and may also be a misdemeanor offense.

All it would take to waive that rule is a single phone call from Gov. Newsom, Assemblyman Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, said at Thursday’s press conference.

“Allow these individuals some light at the end of the tunnel,” Patterson said.

The Republican urged the Democratic governor to issue a waiver to the State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, which oversees the matter, much as he did with the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board in allowing bars and restaurants to serve alcohol outside their establishments.

“We are way past politics here, this is about real people’s lives,” he said.

Santiago said that her business, which was forced to close for months when Newsom issued his initial closure order, has lost thousands of dollars. She said that if the governor doesn’t issue an exception allowing hair stylists to work outdoors, many will go underground.

Santiago said her business won’t survive without some action from the governor.

“I don’t have another option,” she said.

This story was originally published July 16, 2020 at 1:14 PM with the headline "Hair salon owners urge Gavin Newsom to let them go back to work — outdoors."